Page 103 of Redemption

She pulled up and tried to see what was in the corner but couldn’t. It was like chain link fencing.Inside a barn?Her stomach bottomed out. She was unable to see anything but suddenly knew everything. Lenora was right. The Russians had women. Who and how many, Victoria couldn’t tell, but it was everything that she was so close to them right now, and they didn’t know that help was on its way.

All she needed was a plan. There were a lot of them, and the easiest, safest way to go was to call Ryder. Maybe Delta could come in and clean house. Easy. She had a confirmation. She could tell them who, where, and almosthow many, not that she had set eyes on the women. But it was a solid lead. Or she could tell the mayor or sheriff, though neither had her trust.

Either way. She had actionable intel, and now she was off to do something about it.

Victoria walked along the edge of the barn, easing her aching arms off the ledge. She took a breath on the side of the roof, letting her legs hang over the gutter.

Two mice scampered along the gutter, squeaking and squealing as they made their way. A large flapping came out of nowhere, startling Victoria. Something large and dark dove at her—at them—and the mice scampered. She covered her face as the animal—the bird—hit her, knocking into her with giant wings as it grabbed toward the roof. She curled into a ball, muffling her surprise, falling to the side. Claws scratched the gutter, and she rolled off the side, catching herself, dangling next to the downspout as an owl took off with its dinner.

Fuck.

The gutter bent under her weight.

No, no, no. Damn it.She repositioned her hand, trying to find wood.Drop? Stay up?Anything that wasn’t semi-rusted out gutter to hang on? Better to drop. There was grass—

The gutter tore, screeching as she came crashing down.

Oomph. Landing on her back, air knocked out and dazed, she blinked hard, trying to roll hard to the side.

Victoria staggered to her knees. In a crouch, she surveyed the side, pivoting, and—shit.

“And who are you?” the man approached, weapon drawn.

Now this was going to make Ryder all kinds of upset if she didn’t get herself out. “Vigilante chemical crusader, out to make sure farmers aren’t using pesticides they shouldn’t.” Victoria smiled. “But you guys look all good. Guns aren’t my concerns. Have a good night.”

She turned confidently and started walking away. No way was that going to work.

Really?

She waited for him to yell or to hear the cock of the gun.

Just footsteps, and she broke into a run as he chased her. Pain exploded at the back of her head as the back of the gun struck in a swing. That… wasn’t… a…bop.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Ryder pushed his earpiece in. “Say what?”

He wasn’t cleared to do any gun work, but he could be the eyes for someone else, and right now, Cash Garrison needed his entire focus, not Parker breaking into Ryder’s concentration.

“Can I get an update?” Parker repeated.

Cash was on another comm channel and wouldn’t hear the back and forth.Good.Ryder focused through his binoculars, putting Parker’s request on hold. Cash had the perfect shot. A madman had a knife against a child’s throat, demanding a ransom that had made zero sense. Before he’d arrived and taken the hostage, he’d left a body count with that already bloody knife. Island police didn’t have a hostage negotiator, much less one that spoke in tongues the madman would understand.

It didn’t take long before Titan was called in for an off-the-books sharpshooter to end a spiraling ordeal.

The window shattered. The knife dropped. The child screamed as her mother ran forward, and the killer dropped to the ground. A two-day standoff was over, and the child lived. That was all that mattered.

“All right.” Cash came online. “That’s a wrap.”

Ryder dialed in his binoculars, assessing the scene. “Good work. Clean shot.”

They flipped to an open comm channel as the island sun beat down, and the sweet-scented wind drifted over the expensive row of beachfront mansions.

“Boss Man, you there?”

“Good shot. Wrap up, and get home,” Jared said.

“Or you can send Nic and the kids down here.”

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